first of never
- idiom
- Informal
:
el primero de nunca
- If you expect him to apologize, you'll be waiting until the first of never.
Examples
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That policy change will happen on the first of never if the current management has its way.
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It looks like our vacation plans are scheduled for the first of never.
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This is the first of never for me!
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You will get a raise on the first of never.
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If you expect him to apologize, you'll be waiting until the first of never.
-
It looks like our vacation plans are scheduled for the first of never.
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You will get a raise on the first of never.
Synonyms
38
4.3
Saying this shows something is very unlikely to happen
2
8.1
A way to say something is very unlikely to happen
1
6.7
To never do something, no matter what happens
1
9.8
A phrase people say to show something is very unlikely to happen
Say it to show you will never do something
How Lucky
- Slang
- Informal
13
3.2
8
3.2
- Informal
Surface Forms
Morphology
The combination of 'first' and 'never' is ironic and idiomatic — the literal meanings contradict and do not straightforwardly yield 'very unlikely/impossible' or 'won't occur again.' Interpreting this expression requires pragmatic/figurative awareness (sarcasm or slang use) that a B1 learner who only knows the constituent words would not reliably have.
Etymology
The idiom first of never is a joking way to make a date impossible: we often say the 'first' of a month, but here the time is never, which cannot be a real date. So saying the first of never means something will 'never' happen or is very unlikely.